You’ll Age More Quickly This Way

IN YOUR DAILY DOSE: today is research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health demonstrating these activities increase the speed of aging, both internally and externally.

MAKING CHANGES: Not too many changes today - except to avoid these two activities!

FACT OR FICTION: What was the largest island in the world named after?

In The News

Research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health demonstrates that heavy drinking and smoking increases the speed you appear to age. These changes are visual but also occur to your internal organs as well. So, while you may look older, your body is biologically older as well.

More than 11,000 adults were followed for nearly 12 years to reach these conclusions. Four physical signs were evaluated that are linked to an increase risk of cardiovascular health and death. These signs are creases in the earlobe, opaque ring around the cornea, plaques in the eyelids and male pattern baldness.

Smoking and drinking affect a significant number of your organ systems and your overall health. Each of these activities can increase your risk of poor health and drinking increases your risk of making poor decisions.

Daily Affirmation

Admiring the accomplishments of others drives me to put forth more effort.I visit art museums and read the science section in my newspaper. Masterpiece paintings and scientific breakthroughs inspire me to discover and fulfill my own potential. I look for challenges that stretch my skills.I engage in positive thinking. I love and accept myself. I let go of resentments and regrets so I can concentrate on the present.

Fact or Fiction?

The largest island in the world was not named after lush green fields, but instead because the people were misled into believing there WAS greenery or a good place to grow crops. Viking explorers called the island Greenland to attract settlers who would have otherwise been scared off by the cold weather in the Arctic Circle. The coastal area does turn green during Greenland’s very brief summer months.